Farinacious products generally are better tasting when they are freshly prepared from fresh, unfrozen dough. Products such as pasta, bread dough and pie crusts are available in frozen, raw states that can be freshly baked or boiled in the home immediately prior to consumption. Freezing is a necessary expense in the manufacture and delivery of these products in order to preserve the raw farinacious products from decomposition due to bacteria, yeast and mold. Frozen products, however, are perceived by many to be less desirable than products prepared from a fresh, unfrozen dough.
Pasta specialty shops exist where fresh, raw pasta in an unfrozen state is available. The fresh pasta dough is usually purchased and cooked the same day, or at least within a very short period. These products are not, however, generally available. Consumers prefer to purchase conventional dry products in supermarkets. The pasta sold in specialty shops is not suitable for mass production and distribution from a central location to supermarkets because of the short term stability of the product against bacteria, yeast and mold.
It is known in the art that moist foods can be preserved by including an edible acid in the product. The acid lowers the pH to levels at which bacterial growth is prevented or inhibited thus imparting shelf or refrigerator stability to the food. This method of preservation, however, is not compatible with many types of food products because it can give an "acid" taste or odor to the food at effective pH levels. Thus the method of preserving moist foods with edible acids has generally been confined to either foods which are compatible with an acid taste (e.g., pickles) or foods consumed by less discriminating palates (e.g., pet foods).